Side note:
This is an article that intends to bring information about the speaker that came to EAC this March during the celebration of the Brazilian culture week. The author really hopes that this article can be informative in case any of our readers are interested in knowing more about this important educator. At the end of this page is a website that contains a list of all his books.
Who is Daniel Munduruku?
Daniel Monteiro Costa, of indigenous origin (Munduruku ethnicity), is a very wise and inspiring writer. He was born in the Jacareacanga village, in Pará, which suffers from the invasion of prospectors. His early education took place in a Catholic missionary congregation, where he was educated by Salesian priests, who incentivized him to study. He, later on, moved to the big city in search of better study opportunities and started living with his family in Lorena, São Paulo.
Works and Accomplishments:
He graduated in philosophy, with a license in history and psychology. He is a doctor in education (USP) and also has a post-doctorate in linguistics (UFSCar). Beyond that, he is also president of “Instituto UKA – Casa dos Saberes Ancestrais”, author of 52 books for children, youth, and educators, and one of the founding members of the “Academia de Letras de Lorena”.
Daniel is the bearer of the “Ordem Nacional do Mérito Cultural da Presidência da República” prize since 2008. In 2013, he received the same prize in the “Grã-Cruz” category, which is the most important official honor for a Brazilian citizen in the area of culture.
This educator has received several literary prizes in Brasil and abroad. Among these prizes are “Prêmio Jabuti”, “Prêmio da Academia Brasileira de Letras”, Prêmio Érico Vanucci Mendes (bestowed by CNPq), “Prêmio Tolerância” (bestowed by UNESCO), and many of his books received the seal “Altamente Recomendável” bestowed by Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil (FNLIJ). Furthermore, in 2017, he received the “Jabuti” prize in the child and juvenile category, and also the “Prêmio Fundação Bunge” in 2018.
What are his main goals?
As most people probably have noticed from his visit to our school, his main goal is to bring awareness to the beautiful diversity and complexity of indigenous culture, so that the lives of the indigenous people in our country can be acknowledged and respected, along with their land, which is often invaded and destroyed by prospectors.
Recently, in 2021, Daniel Munduruku candidated himself for the 12th chair of the “Academia Brasileira de Letras”, occupied before by writer Alfredo Bosi, who had passed away in April of that year. Unfortunately, he did not win the election, but the reason for his attempt in making part of this important organization was clear:
Recurso: Conexão Planeta, “Mais de 100 escritores assinam carta de apoio à candidatura de Daniel Munduruku para a Academia Brasileira de Letras”, Mônica Nunes, 15 de Novembro de 2021.
“A importância da candidatura, mais que individual, é coletiva. Estou buscando dar mais visiblidade aos povos indígenas. A academia é uma instituição muito importante para que esta visibilidade aconteça. (…) É um desejo que as pessoas conheçam mais a nossa cultura, escrita, mas também que os povos indígenas não sejam mais vistos como seres do passado, mas do agora, contemporâneos. E, quem sabe, sejam vistos também como os guardiões de um futuro possível para o Brasil.”
“The importance of the candidacy, more than individual, is collective. I am seeking to give more visibility to indigenous people. The academy is a very important institution for this visibility to happen. (…) It is a desire for people to know more about our culture, writing, but also that indigenous people are no longer seen as beings of the past, but of the present, contemporary. And, who knows, they are also seen as guardians of a possible future for Brazil.”
Resources:
https://grupoeditorialglobal.com.br/autores/lista-de-autores/biografia/?id=1000
https://barco.art.br/people/daniel-munduruku/
His books:
EAC PRESS 